05 Nov Digital Update – November

The digital space moves faster than almost anyone can keep up with. This blog will touch on the biggest and most exciting developments, new trends and technologies in the online world on a monthly basis, so you can stay in touch and up to date with just a few minutes to read.

Google

BERT

Voice search is becoming increasingly popular as the technology continues to improve. Marketers need to be aware of how customers frame their questions through voice for SEO purposes. Almost 1/3 of Google’s 3.5 billion daily searches now take place through voice. Voice search differs from a traditional typed phrase as you’re not given autocompleted answers below your query as you type. Google has now introduced BERT to its search ranking system to help understand longer, more conversational queries. BERT essentially assists Google with understanding natural language text used online.

What should you consider for your business?

While this update is quite fresh, Google said producing
high-quality content for humans remains the best approach. Some SEO tools noted
minor ranking fluctuations, but it wasn’t enough to stir up the SEO community.
However, long-tail keywords might become more of a focus to capture further
traffic. Google claims around 10 per cent of their daily searches are done in
this matter, usually through a digital assistant like Siri.

Local first

Google is reporting an emerging trend in the US that would likely apply to the New Zealand market: users on Google are searching more specifically for local businesses that are nearby. The report doesn’t state whether these searches are due to patriotism or convenience. Local searches have increased by 350x over ten years in the US. One could assume kiwis would have a similar searching habit. With a large number of New Zealand businesses considering “local” as an integral element to their brand, they must believe their customers find it important.

What should you consider for your business?

Ensure that your website is capturing search queries that
are ‘local’, ‘nearby’ or ‘near me’. You can do this through SEO, ensuring your content
is optimised for these searches or through paid keywords on Google Ads.

Social Media

The Chatbot

These are automated messages delivered to customers after receiving their queries. The artificial intelligence for chatbots is becoming increasingly more advanced and better able to handle complicated requests. Research is showing that almost half of end users prefer to interact with chatbots, and it is estimated that 80 per cent of customer communications will be performed in this manner in the next five years.

What should you consider for your business?

This technology very much falls under the ‘work in progress’ category, however, for businesses with very large followings, receiving many messages each day, the Chatbot could be an option to provide relief and support to manage your inbox. At present, Chatbots can handle basic requests for information. There are some more advanced options, but these are typically more expensive and require lengthier setup processes. Here are some Chatbot options.

Instagram – IGTV series

Instagram has recently rolled out a series option to categorise videos on the IGTV video platform. This will make it easier for content creators to segment videos and add branding. It will also make IGTV better for users, as it gives them the option to get notified of new updates and auto playing the next episode.

What should you consider for your business?

Is your business big on content marketing? Well it should be, content is what drives traffic. With IGTV series, Instagram is looking to make IGTV a more inviting place for content creators. At present, the platform is generally only used when videos go beyond Instagram’s 60 second limit but now IGTV could become its own platform by giving creators and subscribers similar options to a YouTube channel.

Category follow lists

The category follow list feature is something Instagram is currently testing; it may not necessarily be released but it does look like it would be a fantastic new addition to the platform. The list would appear under the tab that displays who you follow. This new feature would make it easy to see who you don’t interact with often and thus unfollow.

What should you consider for your business?

This has not been released and there’s no guarantee it
ever will be, but the feature does look promising and it will improve user
experience. Businesses that are inactive on Instagram may need to look at
posting more engaging content to avoid ending up on the ‘least interacted with’
list and risking an unfollow.

New technology and tools

YourIwi

YourIwi is an online system developed to assist iwi with their member database and communication. Iwi administrators and members can use it on any device, from anywhere in the world.

YourIwi keeps membership data secure and up to date in real
time. Iwi can rely on YourIwi for accurate reporting and a robust voting system
for trustee elections and settlement decisions.

The tool was created by Campbell Squared and we have a 25 per cent off discount running until the end of November, get in touch to learn more about YourIwi.

Progressive Web Apps

Progressive web apps are websites that look and function like a mobile app with all the same capabilities. The difference is that they are accessible to all devices and do not need separate IOS and Android apps. They are also much cheaper to develop. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are not new, but they have recently become a lot more capable, even online retail giant Alibaba has created its own. Alibaba’s primary reason for creating the PWA alongside its native apps is to remove the download barrier preventing customer transactions.

The Loupedeck Creative Tool

Attention designers and creatives, this new tool looks fantastic. Not only does it look cool, but it is also compatible with Adobe Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Illustrator, along with Final Cut Pro X and Ableton Live music production software. The Loupedeck team describes the tool as a customizable creative control console with dials, buttons, and a touchscreen to streamline access to creative software tools across several industries, including photography, videography, music, and design.

How do you think these trends and developments will impact your mahi? Let us know if you want some support navigating the complex maze that is the online world. Get in touch.